The tornado would reach its peak upon hitting Misty Morn Pl and Blue Iris Pl, where several homes suffered damage to windows, roofs, awnings and garage doors. A two-story house in the 2100 block of Blue Iris Pl was completely destroyed by the storm, which had winds that peaked between 115 and 120 miles per hour, categorizing it as an EF-2 event.
The tornado dissipated around 9:40 a.m., according to the NWS, after impacting the FOX35 studio on Skyline Dr.
On Monday, Mar 10, an EF-2 tornado struck the Longwood/Lake Mary area in Seminole County, leading to downed trees, closed roads, and destroyed homes. No one was injured in the disaster, but the aftermath has left the community reeling.
The tornado touched down at 9:35 a.m. Monday morning near the southeast edge of Wekiwa Springs State Park, according to a damage report by the National Weather Service (NWS), and continued northeast into the Wingfield Reserve subdivision in Longwood, leaving many downed trees in its wake.
Thankfully, the damage reports indicate that no one was seriously injured in the wake of the storm, including the semi-truck driver who had his rig flipped by the tornado near Lake Emma Rd with himself and his dog inside. The Seminole County Fire Department, which had nearly twenty units on scene in the minutes after the tornado struck, has confirmed that the collapsed house, which belonged to two local residents, was unoccupied at the time of the collapse.
In the wake of the Seminole County Fire Department, Seminole County Office of Emergency Management, and Seminole County Sheriff’s Office have partnered with the Lake Mary Fire Department, the city of Lake Mary, and Duke Energy to begin what officials are calling a “massive cleanup operation.”
Andy Wontor, with the Office of Emergency Management, has confirmed that road crews have been deployed as part of the office’s public works team to begin clearing roadways and removing debris which may be blocking people into their homes. Additionally, the emergency management staff have been coordinating efforts by the Red Cross, several local churches, and other nonprofit organizations to shelter people who are unable to return to their damaged homes and provide goods to the people who are trapped within their homes as cleanup operations continue.
When asked about what prevented people from getting injured in the wake of the storm, officials have attributed it to the combined efforts of the National Weather Service and local meteorologists, which were able to give residents some warning before the tornado touched down. While tornadoes aren’t able to be forecasted days or weeks in advance the same way hurricanes usually are, the NWS was able to issue a Tornado Watch and then a Tornado Warning on Monday morning.
The other thing that kept residents safe, according to Wontor, was that they “kept safe and knew what to do” during the worst of the tornado. Additionally, residents received emergency alerts through Alert Seminole, which sent out emergency alerts before the storm hit.
“Registering for these alerts really is one of [the Office of Emergency Management’s] biggest assets,” she said.
To sign up for Alert Seminole, you can visit www.alertseminole.org or text SEMINOLE to 888-777 to register your phone number and email for call, email, and text alerts. Additionally, special needs residents are encouraged to sign up for the Office of Emergency Management’s special needs registry, which allows rescue workers to see if any additional assistance is needed in the wake of disasters like this one.
